


Peace Of Mind

by orphan_account



Category: Catfish: The TV Show
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Nev/Max if that's what you want to see, spoilers for Season 2: Episode 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 22:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nev notices Max can't sleep, there's something about today playing on both their minds...conversation ensues. A short bit that I wrote after watching Season 2 Episode 4 (- spoilers for this episode)!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peace Of Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Hi...didn't think I'd be writing fiction about non-fictional characters again...but that's all this is, purely a work of fiction from my imagination, I own nothing of Catfish: The TV Show or anyone mentioned in this work.

Nev rolls over on his mattress, looking across to the bed opposite, to where Max is trying to sleep. They’ve been like this for about an hour now. Nev swears Max must know he’s still awake too, it’s an almost awkward situation – both of them unable to sleep and Nev unsure of what to say or do. He had been hoping that eventually they’d fall asleep but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen anytime soon.

Toying with the hotels duvet cover in-between his fingers, he decides to bite the bullet.

”…Max?” he says softly, almost a whisper. He sees the lump under the duvets freeze up slightly, before watching as Max rolls over to face him.

”Yeah?” the other man asks, his face half-covered by the darkness of the room, eyes glinting dimly in the remaining light of the room.

Nev forgets what he was going to say, he’d half been hoping he wouldn’t answer.

”Can’t sleep,” he says, not sure if he’s asking Max or that if he’s telling him – it could be either.

He hears Max make a noise of agreement.

”I know,” he pauses for a few seconds before continuing,

”I feel like an asshole.”

Nev knows its ok to snicker a little at the others comment, but he stops before Max takes offence. He knows exactly what the other is referring to, the events of their most recent Catfish mystery.

It had been so long since they’d last seen one of these Catfish fairytales NOT being shattered into a thousand pieces by people getting hurt by the lies they’d been told over the internet. It had been so long that none of them - not even Nev – had fully expected Derek to be who he said he was. Whenever someone isn’t willing to webcam, it’s normally the obvious sign that something is off with their alibi and when they’d found Levourne and the whole trike side to the story, he would be lying to say that didn’t put any doubts in his mind.

Having seen the amount of hearts been broken, arguments and fall-outs being had on the show, of course they’d both tried to warn Lauren that Derek may not be who he said he was. They could both clearly see she was so blindly in love with this guy, that she may not be able to see logic in his story.

However when they had warned her, she had told them the truth, she felt as if they were trying to break her faith in Derek. She felt as if they were trying to wear her down to put on a good performance for their show.

Nev could feel himself cringe inwards, his stomach feeling tight. Because in that moment; he’d felt like shit too.

That’s not who he was. That’s not who he wanted to be seen as, it had made him panic – is that what people saw when they watched the show? Some heartless jerk who was in it to see how far they could push the ratings?

”I do too,” Nev admitted back to Max, he could feel himself frowning, badly wanting to get the issue off his chest.

”I never meant to upset her,” he said to his co-host, looking over to Max once again. He saw the others lips pull into a smile.

”Neither of us did…and it only hurts us this much because it turned out that we were wrong,” Max reasoned, the smile never leaving his face.

Nev knew what his friend was saying made sense, but there was something else bothering him, something which was playing at the back of his mind. It was what Lauren had said to them when she defended herself, she had told them not to be so insensitive when dealing with other people’s lives…was that true? Had he become de-sensitised to the whole ordeal from helping so many people on Catfish?

”Do you think we were too harsh?” Nev asked, knowing the other must be thinking about the same thing.

”I mean, what she said is true, we do this kind of thing every day. Maybe we’re just too harsh now that it’s become such a common thing for us to watch people getting their feelings messed up,” he finished, rolling onto his back and gazing up at the ceiling.

He heard the covers rustling on the others bed, causing him to glance over and notice Max's back now faced him.

”It was something we had to do, it’s also something that we’ve done every single time, we have to be there for them – not lie to them. Besides, she’s been ecstatic ever since she saw Derek, I hardly think she’s still mad at us,” the other replied, yawning.

Nev blinked, the silence continuing as he mulled the words over. During the silence he realised he felt a lot calmer than he had at the beginning of the conversation, his mind didn’t feel so anxious and stressed and his chest didn’t feel so tight anymore. Talking had definitely helped…now he knew he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. He felt a small smile creeping onto his face that he was unable to fight off.

”Thanks Max,” he said happily, his mind at ease once more,

”I just don’t want to be seen as some heartless jerk you know?” Nev admitted.

As soon as the words had left his mouth he heard a short laugh and then suddenly Max was rolling over to face him once more,

”Seriously Nev? That’s what you’re worried about?” Max asked, a big grin now plastered on his face, as the other turned his head to face him – a completely serious look on his face.

Max let out a short laugh again,

”It would be near impossible to see you as a heartless jerk, your heart is made of gold man – solid gold,” he finished, the grin on his face fading into the familiar, candid smile he was used to sharing with his friend.

Nev mirrored his expression.

”Really?”

To which he could see Max roll his eyes, even in the incredibly shoddy light.

”Don’t make me say it again, it was hard enough the first time,” his friend admitted, eyes still locked with Nevs own.

Nev felt butterflies in his chest. It was nice to be paid a compliment, especially from a man who very rarely dished them out. It was as if the mood he was in before never existed.

”Thanks Max,” Nev said, his voice thick with honesty, eyes searching Max's in the dark.

”It’s what I’m here for,” Max replied as they both lay still for a few seconds, the silence washing over them.

The two had been forced to spend an awful lot of time together here on the show, of course they’d got to know each other a lot better and their friendship had grown because of it. Secretly this was what both of them liked best.

”Get some sleep, ok?” Max’s voice broke the silence and Nev's train of thought, pulling him back into reality, watching his friend turn his back on him once more. Nev smiled to himself, as he too rolled over so his back was facing the neighbouring bed.

He’d started the conversation with Max in the hope of cheering him up. However he now realised he’d been fooled, Max never needed comfort – he'd been waiting up to comfort Nev.

**Author's Note:**

> So after I watched this episode, I was hit with 2 things;
> 
> 1) How Lauren had called them both out for them trying to 'play on her doubts' - this is how she saw it I guess. And it was weird because for once I could tell that this guy was going to be real, because of how much faith Lauren had in him. Her faith in him must've made them both feel a bit like jerks when all was said and done, especially because she told them face to face that they were making her feel like 'sh*t'
> 
> 2) In the episode, when Max wakes up he says he couldn't sleep from worrying about Lauren and Derek...I'm not sure he was telling the truth or not but ha, it inspired me to write something using these two prompts I found for myself in the episode~
> 
> Obviously it's my first time writing for this fandom and I was inspired also by the other authors who have posted on here; HowsMyDriving, readwriteandavengers and vickyblueeyez!!! Sorry I didn't want to make it into a full Nev/Max fiction...I'm just not comfortable with posting slash of non-fictional characters anymore...


End file.
